Gratitude
by Henta1Rampag3
Summary: In the midst of the end of the world, friends can be lost in the blink of an eye. Because of these students, especially one Kohta Hirano, Rika Minami had reunited with not only her weapons, but the with the best friend she wasn't around to protect, and she was not one to let debts go unrepaid. HiranoxMinami, requested. Rated M for a reason.


Thirty-one.

That was how many 7.62mm bullets Rika Minami, possibly the most skilled sniper in all of Japan still alive, possessed not counting the handful of magazines for the various handguns stashed in the pockets of her worn SAT fatigues.

She lit a cigarette; it wasn't like _they_ could smell anything anyway. Even if, by some astronomical chance, the smell of the smoke traveled beyond the walls of the decrepit clothing outlet Rika's impromptu squad had currently fortified reached the necrotic nostrils of the undead, nothing would change. Noise was the only factor there.  
For high school students, her squad seemed to understand this fact; Rei Miyamoto and Takashi Komuro were on guard outside with Zeke, and even if they were chatting among themselves they were keeping it quiet. Saeko Busujima knelt in the corner of the outlet, cleaning her blade with a cloth of even small flecks of dried gore. Saya Takagi had her arms crossed, looking in the direction of the entrance while listening to the intermittent chatter of Kohta Hirano as he thumb-loaded the magazines of their sizeable arsenal as quietly as he could.

And in the corner of the store opposite Saeko, Shizuka Marikawa slept soundly with Alice, the blanket cast on the floor as good as any bed as they slumbered like no Armageddon had ever occurred.

Rika cracked a smile as she puffed on her cigarette; all things considered, the apocalypse had turned out decently from her point of view. There were far worse professions to have followed in life than Special Forces Sniper to prepare her for the undead hordes, the majority of her treasured, imported arsenal was still intact and being put to good use, and the most important person in her life, the drowsy nurse of Fujimi Academy, was still alive and breathing; that last fact alone was more than most could say at this point.

Even Rika had to admit: Shizuka and she made an odd pair of friends, let alone roommates. One of them was one of the highest ranked sharpshooters in one of Japan's elite forces, the other a seemingly perpetually sleepy nurse at a high school, both until a few months prior. One would think at a glance that it was Rika who kept Shizuka together, but the reality was contrary; looking in from the outside one had no knowledge of all the late-night conversations the two had shared, the fears and insecurities Rika had divulged with no one but her, or the one time she had broken down in her friends' arms, years ago on the first day she had used her training and taken a life.

At the beginning of the outbreak she hadn't been there to keep Shizuka safe; she'd had a job to do, and if she had abandoned that job when Japan needed her most, who was she to even pretend she was worthy of friendship? But she needn't have worried, as the entire time these kids had been keeping her safe.

They all brought unique skills to the outbreak, from Saeko's gift with more traditional weaponry to Takashi's natural leadership. Rei's athletic precision and Saya's intellectual prowess Rika had called from the moment she'd joined up with the kids, but the one that fascinated her the most out of the group, the only one who she trusted taking care of her beloved arsenal, was Kohta Hirano.

While the bespectacled high-schooler's zealous enthusiasm for all things military was endearing, his kill count spoke for itself; ever since the dead had risen over Japan his skill, and knowledge of the care and handling of even the most complicated firearms were together with Saeko the primary reasons the group, and to that extent Shizuka Marikawa, had survived this long.

Rika supposed she owed him a debt. Her cigarette half-gone, she looked around the corner to where Kohta was still attempting to converse with Saya, and to little success. The girl had her eyes on Takashi, even now when she couldn't even see him as he was outside probably schmoozing Rei, but nevertheless little miss Takagi had Hirano ensnared. Rika couldn't help but hold out hope for him; poor kid just needed to get laid and he would realize there would be another Asami some day.

Actually, in this world she couldn't promise him that, but about getting him laid… even with some of the weight he'd lost due to a combination of extensive cardio and scarce food over the last few months, it would be a while for him with the way things were. She could always lend him a hand, or more than that in this case, but she didn't want the kid's first time to be out of pity.

Yet again, Shizuka was alive and well because of him, and if Rika had to endure one more minute of Kohta hopelessly pining after a disinterested Saya Takagi she would be out of cigarettes before the days' end.

She pressed her ailing cigarette between two full, shapely lips and finished it with a mighty drag, exhaling audibly as she unzipped the top of her Special Assault Team jumpsuit. Who was she kidding; Kohta had protected her best friend with medal-worthy valor. One of the top five snipers in all of Japan was a hell of a catch especially for a high school boy obsessed with weaponry, and in the next fifteen minutes, she was about to make his day.

Rika rounded the corner, dropped her cigarette under her boot, and called out for the boy as loud as was safe, "Hirano!"

Kohta and Saya both turned to her voice, both teens tensing for action; across the outlet Saeko flashed a single, piercing eye in curiosity.

"You're good, Takagi," Rika laughed, "Hirano, you finish modding that Springfield like I asked?"

"Ah! Yes, Miss Minami," Kohta said, rising as he quickly procured the aforementioned rifle from the neatly arranged assortment next to his space on the floor, "Thermal scope, silencer, and recoil compensation, as you requ-"

"Could you bring it here?" Rika coiled a finger in her direction, "I want to do a little hands-on inspection."

"Right!"

Hirano slung the weapon over one shoulder, obediently marching over to Rika's corner of the outlet as Takagi watched with a quizzical frown. Rika on the other hand, was trying to keep her grin from blossoming into a full, wicked smirk; neither teen had any idea what was really going on here.

Ah, to be young.

"There's my baby!" Rika remarked as both Kohta and the rifle he carried rounded the corner. The boy flushed as Rika handled the scoped rifle from his shoulder, pretending to eye the weapon over. It was beautiful; a sight to behold, but in times like this she didn't like competition.

"Just like you asked, Miss Minami," Kohta grinned, "Calibrated to take their skulls right off at any range."

Rika nodded.

"Mhmm… here, come with me for a moment."

Kohta looked confused, but followed still as she led him behind her into what used to be an employee break-room; though the electricity no longer pumped through this section of town, the single table and chairs were lit adequately by a lone window. Unless and Takashi and Rei decided to circle the entire strip mall that contained their current base of operations, she and Hirano would have just enough privacy to make things exciting.

That being said, they were a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse that had survived this long by using constant communication, and if the two of them were out of sight for longer than fifteen minutes it would be cause for the rest of them to worry. Rika was no stranger to working under pressure, however.

"Is there… something wrong with it?" Kohta asked hesitantly, "I'm sure I didn't damage it, I would never; it's such a beautiful weapon…"

"Isn't it?"

Rika laid the rifle on the table, pushing aside a long-empty, styrofoam coffee cup to make room for her treasured weapon.

"You did a good job, Hirano," she laughed, trying to put the obviously uncomfortable kid at ease. She further unzipped her jumpsuit, and what was going to be a sigh of relief from Kohta hitched and trailed into silent disbelief as his cheeks took on a crimson hue. The sniper's sharp collarbones, and white bra against her sun-kissed skin on full display, she took another step and closed the distance between them and gradually guided Kohta further against the wall.

The boy was still coming to grips with the fact that even this was, indeed, physically happening; he flicked his eyes up to her face, and then quickly back down to her breasts, and before the teen's eyes had nowhere else to go Rika pressed herself against him, her arms hanging loosely around his shoulders.

"Sometimes, it's polite to stare," she said.

"Ahh…" Kohta took a few seconds to find words, "Thank you-I mean, got it, Miss Minami!"

"Please, call me Rika."

The modest height differential between them still required Rika to pull back, if only marginally, before she pressed her lips to the flustered teens own.

There was a brief moment of hindsight, uncommon for the sniper, as she felt the shocked Kohta stiffen against her. Perhaps she had jumped the gun, so to speak, but it was quickly forgotten as he wrapped his own arms tightly around her and pulled her in.

She let out a quiet, pleasantly surprised moan; though she had expected some uncertainty and surprise from the teen, his speed at adapting to the situation was both unexpected and invigorating. They pressed their lips against one another with renewed force, and as Kohta's hands gripped the fabric of her uniform and pulled it tight against her curves, she thought longingly about how long it had actually been since she'd been with a man.

But, she was the one in control here.

She pulled back from the kiss, and heavy, rhythmic breaths filled the space between them. Kohta was leaned against the wall, panting inches from Rika as she gave her top lip one lick.

"Miss-Rika…" Kohta said, cheeks still red, "I, um, didn't know you felt that way."

Rika laughed, her forehead pressed to the boy's with and slicked with a thin layer of sweat.

"Listen, Kohta," she started, "You know Shizuka is a great friend of mine."

"Ahh, yes."

"Well, I know… I know you haven't been able to save everyone," she hesitated a brief moment as Kohta tried not to let the darkening of his brow show, "But you kept her safe until I could meet up with everyone. I just wanted to… show my gratitude…"

"It wasn't a problem; thanks for lending me your guns!" Kohta said, "That's…"

Whatever he was going to say next was cut short by the sensation of Rika's fingers ghosting directly over his erection through his pants.

"In a way that's fun for _both_ of us," the sniper said with a wink.

They kissed again as Rika worked at Kohta's pants and belt with both hands, and he made no moves to stop her; his hands worked into her hair, gently kneading through her tied-back tresses and working back down the nape of her neck as he hesitantly explored her. His pants fell to the ground, and Rika followed them, dropping deliberately onto one knee and then the other through the stunned Kohta's arms. His hands rested on her shoulders as Rika gently kissed his length through his boxers.

For running around in a zombie apocalypse, he didn't smell half-bad, but the exact size she was working with, however, was what surprised her the most. His breathing quickened as she pulled down his underwear, and…

To think that he hadn't been laid was a crime; Rika was face-to-face with at least six-and-a-half, rock-hard inches. She grinned and looked up at the red-faced, but obviously excited Kohta.

"If you keep impressing me like this…" she trailed off, and ran a gloved hand over him from base to tip.

"Rika…" he breathed, "They're going to wonder where we are…"

"They are," she affirmed, "But I've seen you perform under pressure."

She took him in between her lips; just the first inch before letting go with practiced, controlled slowness. She got another inch the second time, and Kohta was silent at first, as if making any sound would trigger immediate release far before the glorious occasion of Rika Minami, professional SAT deadeye, sucking his cock, on her knees, demanded. Eventually though, she established a rhythm, and he couldn't hold back a strained exhale at the sensations of her supple lips and moist tongue, upon him with deliberate, tight strokes brought him pleasure beyond anything he had ever experienced on his own; this was an image Kohta Hirano couldn't have conjured in his wildest fantasies.

His hands gripped Rika's shoulders, pushing her suit down to expose to their muscled contours as she temporarily released him with an audible _pop._ She smiled, pleased with her work thus far, licked him from his balls to the tip of his length, and plunged him back into her mouth until the tip hit the top of her throat.

Kohta hissed in pleasure, but looked worried as Rika audibly suppressed her gag reflex. She breathed, her chest heaving and shiny with sweat as she stroked him in the meantime.

"Rika?" Kohta asked, concerned, "Are you ok-"

"I'm good!"

She laughed, and quickly took him in her mouth again. So what if it had been a while; she wouldn't let six-and-a-half inches defeat her skills. This time she warmed herself up, bobbing halfway down his length in a rhythm, her hands on his thighs. He grabbed her hair, not too tightly, almost unsurely at first until Rika snatched his fist in her own.

Kohta froze. Rika, slowly, took him all the way into the back of her throat, sucking him with saliva-slicked lips alone, and pressed on his fist around her hair with an urgent moan.

 _Harder._

Kohta was nearing his limits; for his first time in any woman's lips, let alone the deadly-as-she-was-beautiful Rika Minami's, he had held on as best he could, but as she deepthroated him between bouts of expert tongue-work, her purple hair gripped tightly between his fingers, her white bra straps subtly depressing her muscled, tan skin as she worked on him, he struggled in vain to hold back the approaching orgasm.

Rika pulled off him just in time, and she licked his twitching length as he recovered what little stamina he could.

"Rika…" he panted desperately, "I'm going to…"

His cheeks grew heated as he attempted to articulate, "Um… where…?"

Rika hummed, lazily dragging her smooth cheek along his shaft with a pleased smirk.

"Just cum," she said, guided him back into her mouth, hands-free.

His fingers tightened on her hair as he exploded deep in her throat; his hips lifted from the wall involuntarily as Rika swallowed as much of it as she could. The taste was sweet, but the teen came more than she could swallow, and some of it ran down her chin in white, creamy trails.

She quickly pulled back and moved to wipe her mouth, but stopped at the last second to spare her sleeve the mess. Her own cheeks took on a subtle shade of red as she licked her chin behind her arm and dabbed the remnants with a handkerchief in her pocket, as Kohta leaned against the wall, recovering with deep breaths.

Rika stood, pulled her suit back over he shoulders and zipped it up to her collarbones while Kohta buckled his pants, both in silence.

"Don't forget the Springfield," Rika reminded, gesturing to the table, "She's a little needy."

"Yes, Rika!" Kohta said enthusiastically… "Or, Miss Minami…?"

"Minami in front of our squad."

"Right."

The two made to leave the break room like nothing ever happened, the Springfield rifle slung over Kohta's shoulder and both of them suppressing satisfied grins. Rika opened the door, and mere moments later someone rounded the corner, and her grin came face-to-face with Saya Takagi.

Three sets of eyes widened in unison.

"Takagi," Rika acknowledged, not unkindly. Behind her, Kohta's face was so red she could practically feel the heat on the back of her neck.

Saya's cheeks flushed similarly under her glasses before her agape lips twisted in frustration.

"Where were you!?" She looked past Rika to Kohta, "I thought you were attacked! I almost told Saeko we had to search the strip mall!"

Kohta scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, Saya," he said sheepishly, "We were just… just-"

"I know what you were doing!" Saya crossed her arms under her massive breasts, "How long does it take to check the modifications on a sniper rifle!?"

Rika glanced at Saeko across the outlet; the girl was still maintaining her sword, acting like she wasn't listening, though her usually stoic lips were ghosted by an amused smirk.

"It can take a while," Rika stretched, flexing her body skyward, "I'm very particular about my guns. Anyway, it's just about time for Busujima and I to replace those two outside. Busujima! You all set?"

"Yes," Saeko stood, her grin finally disappearing, or at least buried, as she sheathed her blade.

"Excellent."

Rika turned and held out her hand to Kohta, "Now, let's see how my Springfield handles; she better not miss, or you'll be sorry, Hirano."

She winked at the already flushing Kohta, and he nearly bled from the nose.

"Of course, Miss Minami," he handed the weapon over carefully, "I stand by my work."

Takagi's eyes narrowed as Rika joined Saeko at the entrance; behind her, she could hear the twin-tailed genius continuing to pry. The sniper rolled her eyes, smiling; now that Kohta got some action before her, of course Saya was interested. Well, she had done all she had to, as the lingering taste of cum on her tongue reminded her. Maybe if the opportunity presented itself she would indulge once more, that was if he didn't end up balls-deep in Saya Takagi by the day's end.

 _Good luck, kid._

* * *

 **I got a request for a fic based on the show that got me into anime, High School of the Dead, and I enjoyed writing it; hope you all similarly indulged.**


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